Page 87 of York

“I’ve moved around a lot.”

“So I’ve heard. So I’ve heard.”

“Heard? From whom?”

“Your grandfather, of course. You and that sweet great-grandbaby of his.”

“Wait. What? He knew I had a baby?”

“He did. He was real enamored by that little girl, I’ll tell you.”

“I don’t understand. I never brought Denny here.”

“Nope. No. I heard that too. Your grandfather, he had a lot of regrets in his last years. Not mending things with you and meeting his great-grand baby were top of that list.”

“How did he know I had her?”

“Well, I guess there’s no use keeping it from you now that he’s not here, God rest him. Your granddaddy spent a lot of money trying to track you down, keeping an eye on you as you moved place to place.”

My spine tingled at that.

“I know it might seem creepy to you, but he had a few pictures of the two of you through the years. Showed them off to any and everyone who would look.”

“Why didn’t he ever reach out?”

“Well, I imagine he thought he had more time. He was sick for a long while, but he passed what felt like very suddenly. Luckily, though, he did manage to have me come to his bedside right at the end, though. To sort out his final wishes.”

My mind couldn’t seem to move past him tracking us down, getting candid pictures of us.

Was that what it was in Philly?

Just guys my grandfather hired to take our picture? To make sure we were okay?

If that was the case, though, why did they start to attack me?

“Well, to take all the legalese out of this, let me put this in plain talk,” Gary said, pulling me out of my thoughts. “Your grandfather left the ranch, the house, the cars, his bank accounts, and the newfound mineral rights to you.”

The floor fell out from beneath me.

No passive-aggressive or aggressive-aggressive notes for me to read. Just… everything. Absolutely everything he had left in the world.

Greg kept talking, giving me all the details about the property, the minerals, the house, the cattle, everything.

It was more than I could even try to wrap my head around as I sat there.

“I guess I should give you these,” he said, producing a set of keys with a familiar beaded cow keychain I’d made for him one year. The beads had faded and the elastic had stretched, but he’d carried it around with him for years. “I’m sure you’re going to have more questions for me in the future. But maybe go back home, see the sights, grieve your grandfather.”

“Yeah. Yeah,” I said, too numb to manage anything more.

“Did you bring that sweet little girl of yours with you?”

“I did,” I agreed. Then, remembering that safety was still an issue for me, added, “She and her father are at the cafe waiting for me.”

“Good! Good. Glad to hear you’ve got a good man to take care of you. Your grandfather was worried about that.”

There were a few more pleasantries before I was walking out of the office and across the street.

I didn’t even really remember walking into the cafe or finding York’s table. But I was seated next to Denny and looking at him as I tossed the keys on the table.